Ex-UK minister pleads guilty to fudging expenses; facing jail time

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013 file photo, former British lawmaker Denis MacShane arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London. The former minister in Britain’s opposition Labour Party is facing jail time after pleading guilty to making nearly 13,000 pounds in bogus expenses claims. Denis MacShane admitted Monday Nov. 18, 2013, to false accounting by filing 19 fake receipts for “research and translation” services between January 2005 and January 2008. The money from those claims was used to fund trips, such a jaunt to Paris to judge a literary competition. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
(The Associated Press)

LONDON – A former British legislator and Cabinet minister is facing jail time after pleading guilty to making nearly 13,000 pounds in bogus expenses claims.

Denis MacShane, who served as Europe minister under former Prime Minister Tony Blair, admitted Monday to false accounting by filing 19 fake receipts for "research and translation" services between January 2005 and January 2008. The money from those claims was used to fund trips, such as a jaunt to Paris to judge a literary competition.

MacShane's admission caps several years of scrutiny of his expenses, following the 2009 scandal that found U.K. lawmakers had billed the public for items such as pornographic movies and an ornamental duck house.

MacShane was freed on bail until he's sentenced Dec. 19. He faces a maximum jail term of seven years.